Page 2 of Making the Call
I stand and gratefully shake everyone’s hand. I receive congratulations and slaps on the back as I make my way around the room. This is the job of a lifetime. I know I can do just as good of a job as Ray. I know the members of the team, and the inner workings of the Renegades, better than anyone else in the running.
“Glad to keep you around,” Tony states to me as I shake his hand. “I’ll have my secretary send you a new contract, and we can hash out the details later.”
After another round of congratulatory handshakes that morning, we do discuss the logistics of training camp as well as some of the added responsibilities required of me in the coming weeks, since Ray will leave before camp begins. Ray had a lot more responsibilities than I did over the past few years, but I know I can handle it.
Since that meeting, my life hasn’t been the same. The weeks have flown by in a blur. I’m up well before six each day. I work out on my own, eat breakfast then meet with the team by seven. I have meetings all day, work with the team during practices, and plan for the next day with my coaching staff before returning home late at night.
I prefer to get away from it all when I go out to my house on Anderson Island, but since becoming head coach, I’ve stayed in town more often. There’s a ferry that gets me to Steilacoom, just before six thirty a.m., but I’ve been too tired to make the forty-five-minute commute.
Thankfully, this year’s training camp went by without any major complications. Our practice schedule was rigorous, and the team feels in good shape, just coming off the championship win last season. Most of our team consists of returning players, with only a few rookies we’ll test out in the pre-season games as well as some pivotal trades pushed through to help strengthen our O-line and special teams. Our hard work will pay off this fall, once the season officially starts.
To give everyone a break after our grueling schedule during summer training camp, the team has five days off before we come back at full force to gear up for the season. Many players will use this time to be with their families. It’s an unspoken rule that each will continue their workout regimen on their downtime, but they don’t have to be at our practice facilities for the next five days. Most of the members of our team are superstitious as fuck, so I’m sure they’ll continue whatever gets them into their ‘zone’ as a professional athlete.
Myself, I’m looking forward to spending some time away from it all. I’ve been working my ass off around the clock to ensure nothing gets dropped through the cracks as the season begins. I know I need to prove myself not only to my team, but to the entire league, as I’m the youngest to ever do this. There’s been a lot of hype and speculation, but I know the Rainier Renegades are ready, and I’ll be there to ensure they keep the steady momentum we’ve built these past six years since I began working for the team.
I’m not spending the entire five days out at my home on Anderson Island, but I’ll happily spend the majority of my time there. Sure, I’ll review film from last season for the teams we’re playing in the upcoming weeks. Since everything’s digital nowadays, I can do it from the comforts of my couch, just as well as my office at the stadium. But I’ll also spend time enjoying the remaining days of summer in the Pacific Northwest. There are a few projects I want to complete while I’m home, since I’ll have free time to finally get around to them. The team’s charity auction at the local children’s hospital is the Saturday before we report back, so I must head back earlier than I’d hoped.
I pull off the ferry from Steilacoom just after four in the afternoon, and I quickly make my way to my home on the northeast side of the island. I love the land I purchased when I first was hired by the Renegades. I have a phenomenal view of the Sound as well as Mt. Rainier on clear days. I can hear the breeze as well as the water lapping against the shore when I sleep with my windows open at night. Sure, I have central air with my heat pump, but living in Washington, you don’t need AC that many days of the year. Being on Anderson Island, it’s nice to relax and take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city. The back side of my property is lined with trees, so I’m secluded while I’m here, which is a perk. Privacy is something I never thought was a luxury until I took this head coaching position, and my name was thrown into the limelight.
Anderson Island is the home to approximately a thousand residents. Most homes are vacation homes, so during the summer, the population raises to nearly four thousand. The island itself is just under eight square miles. It has a few restaurants and some stores if you need the basics, but if you want an item from a box store, you’ll have to go to the mainland.
Thankfully, I have Evelyn, a woman who lives in the apartment above my detached garage, do my shopping and errands for me. Her young grandchildren live on the island full-time and when her husband passed away a few years back, she was looking for a part-time job close to her daughter so she could help her. I was looking for a housekeeper at the time and with my needs being flexible, it worked out for both of us. I don’t have time to shop or clean for that matter and living on a remote island, it’s necessary to keep things stocked up if I plan to spend any amount of time here.
Within a few minutes of exiting the ferry, I pull into the garage attached to my home and park my Mercedes next to my Jeep. I quickly unload the few things I brought with me and change into a pair of cargo shorts and a black t-shirt from back in my college days. Pulling a beer from the fridge, I prepare my dinner. I’m pleased to find Evelyn has the fixings for steak, corn on the cob, and a baked potato. Not wanting to waste time, I head to my back deck overlooking Puget Sound as well as Mt. Rainier in the distance to turn on the barbeque. Within fifteen minutes, I’m enjoying a delicious meal in complete solitude. I can already tell this is going to be just the break I needed before the season starts.
